Healing Wounds and the Things Between
by Ravenquills
Summary: Ch. 5 FINALLY up! Kagome killed Inuyasha! Never told him how she felt... Her world comes crashing down with the loss but she soon gets unexpected help. 'Dogboy' returns, but what's this? ... a fiancee? InuKag
1. To Be Lost

Hello, and thanx to all who dropped by my first Inuyasha fic. *smiles and takes a bow*

I dun have much to say except YAY! Please review *pout* and on with the . . . um . . . disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I would LUV to own Inu-Yasha, and I would gladly try and steal it too. But *sigh* I respect Rumiko Takahashi too much for that.

Oh! And lastly the demoness Shizuko belongs to moi, though there's no point saying that cuz none of ya care.

Chapter 1

Kagome eyed the situation that faced her. Her eyes darted frantically from the giant cat youkai that looked remarkably like Kirara, and Inuyasha who was busily trying to fend off its giant fangs with another giant fang, the sword Tetsusaiga. The hanyou's blood streaked his red garments, a truly sickening sight to behold. She was shocked at how much blood he was loosing, knowing the mingling colours of the blood and kimono covered up the seriousness of his injuries. 

Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Sango's partner Kirara, was somewhere nearby. She figured as much hearing battle sounds other than the one in front of her and, oddly, inside her.

A mere few seconds ago her mind had been floating in absolute bliss, surrounded by a light, soft, and warm feeling of false ecstasy that no drug, only sorcery could provide. It was amazing how letting down your guard for one second could cost you your life and everything you hold dear.

That was how Kagome Higurashi had suddenly found herself as a pawn for the demoness Shizuko.

She had been daydreaming near a pond earlier that morning. Thinking about, for the hundredth time, a certain dog-boy. Looking into the calm waters below she saw her own pale reflection gazing solemnly back at her. Her spine tingled, feeling the presence of another nearby, turning abruptly she discovered no one. But returning to the waters, the reflection below showed another person standing just behind her, a girl who didn't look much older than herself but was noticeably taller, wearing plain robes of different shades of green. 

Kagome, in her moment of surprise had failed to recognize the presence of a Shikon shard, and foolishly opened her mouth to utter a friendly greeting. However, with one quick sweep of the girl's outstretched arm she was under her control. It was as if her mind was bundled up in a cocoon of empty bliss, leaving her body a perfect shell to use as a puppet.

The events that followed were a mystery. She only knew that somehow her encounter with the strange girl had led to a bloody battle and her having the bow and arrow in her hands drawn back and targeting her companions.

Kagome struggled to get herself under control once more, feeling the familiar feeling creeping up on her again. In the back of her mind she could faintly hear the demoness laugh. She craned her head to seek out the sorceress to shot her instead. But no such luck.

Sensing her arms jerk she turned back to realize Inuyasha was directly in the way of her arrow, at this distance she would have a clear shot of him. Kagome heard an evil smirk coming from Shizuko, who made her pull back the arrow even further. The bow was bending more and more, almost at snapping point.

Then it seemed all time slowed down, which made the pain in Kagome's heart increase ten-folds.

Before she could take complete control, the feathers at the end of the arrow slipped past her trembling fingers, the bow relaxed in her other hand followed by the vibration of the strings as it snapped forward. The actual arrow had very little distance to cover before it impaled Inuyasha through the back, the sharp metal tip poking through the front of his shirt.

Inuyasha stumbled back, his movement pulling out the Tetsusaiga that was embedded in the cat-demon's chest. He looked at Kagome with a mixture of hurt, betrayal, and disbelief. Their eyes locked for a timeless moment before he crumpled to the ground right next to the slain cat.

It was then that Shizuko conveniently decided to cut the strings, leaving her with the full blast of all her emotions. But Kagome wasn't going to weep just yet. In that moment of heated rage she had decided to kill the manipulative bitch.

Now that she's in full control the Shikon shard wasn't too hard to sniff out. Raising her weapons she scanned the trees. 

At last! Kagome spotted the demon camouflaged, sitting on one of the branches. Her look of childish glee only fed the fiery hatred deep within her. Without a second thought she aimed and fired, moving so quickly that Shizuko didn't even have a chance to scream before the arrow pierced her thin neck, killing her. Kagome stood numb for a moment, hearing the sickening crash as the she-demon fell.

Coming to her senses, she dropped everything and rushed to Inuyasha's side, praying with all she was worth that he wasn't dead. 

She knelt down beside him, scraping her knees. It stung but she didn't care. She lifted the limp body onto her lap and felt around desperately for a pulse, anything as long as it was a sign that he was alright, that it would just be one of those times when the wound looked bad but the damage wasn't.

However as she searched for that small flicker of life she knew he was gone. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she cradled him gently in her arms, then held him to her chest whispering "I'm sorry, so sorry" repeatedly, between sobs. She would gladly have sacrificed her own life if she could only see him alive again; she would gladly die even for the faintest sign of life.

To think, she didn't even get a chance to tell him how she felt.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha's serene face, oblivious to the stares of her friends who had ended their own battles just a while ago. No one knew what to say, no one knew what to make of all this. Had the demon kill Inuyasha, or Kagome? Was he dead?!?! What's happening???

Kagome wiped her tears away on her sleeve and numbly laid her beloved down on the ground. Her mind was too clouded for her to function properly, but she knew one thing - she had to get away.

Without a look at anyone else around her she ran, at full speed, towards the Bone-eater's Well.

~*~*~

Kagome opened her eyes, finding the sunlight hitting her from directly above. She felt stiff all over, as if she had been sleeping on hard cement all this time. A small groan escaped her lips as she lifted herself off the ground and took in her surroundings.

It appeared she had been sleeping in front of the Goshinboku, but for what reason?

As though on cue her memory returned, unfortunately so had the pain. Kagome remembered fully what had happened to her. 

She remembered how she had gone through the well and sealed it for good, how she had collapsed in front of the ancient tree, and how she had cried herself to sleep trying to stop feeling the void in her heart that was even worse than Miroku's kazaana. 

Kagome settled down on her knees and bowing her head, clasped her hands together and prayed, praying that Inuyasha would find the peace that his life could not give him. And that somehow, by some miracle, she would be able to see him again, if only to say what she had on her mind since almost the very beginning.

_________________________________________________________

*sniff sniff* yeah I noe I ended on a sad note. Poor Kagome . . . 

But it gets better so stick around.

Buh-bye.


	2. Kagome's Knight in Shining Armor

Hello. *****looks at reviews* YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanx soooooooo much to u kind kind ppl for reviewing my first chapter. Yup-yup Thanx to gene-kitty, dearest, KenYasha, and Lunatic Pandora. ^_________________^ (okie, I'm just a wee bit hyper, ne?)

Disclaimer: Refer to chap. 1

Chapter 2

"I'm sorry, SO sorry . . . "

Kagome held Inuyasha in her arms, gently stroking his soft white hair, hair that was so much like snow yet tainted by the redness of freshly spilt blood. She desperately clung to him as if she could not let go and that if she did horrible things would happen.

Suddenly Inuyasha was gone, simply vanished into thin air. Kagome spun around and she found herself behind a glass, looking through a window into a forest. There were moving images on the far side that she couldn't quite make out, but the more she tried to see the clearer it got.

Before she knew it the image had become all too clear.

Kagome watched the girl with the ebony hair and familiar green uniform draw back her arrow and without a second's hesitation let it fly, the arrow embedding itself into the chest of a white-haired boy wearing a red kimono.

"NOOO!" Kagome cried out, pounding her fists on the glass windowpanes that just refused to break. 

An unexplainable desire of bursting the damned glass began growing as energy shot through her body. Without thinking of the consequences Kagome surged forward, shattering the glass with her whole body. Falling through she landed on the hard ground. She looked up.

On the other side was . . . emptiness . . .

Kagome jolted into reality. The sun shown through a slit in her curtains, outside birds chirped cheerfully. All of this intensely disgusted the normally perky girl. She groggily sat up and roughly threw aside her blankets, hoping while she made her way downstairs that the sky would just come crashing down that day.

At the entrance of the dining room she stopped, watching the happy expression her little brother Souta wore on his face as he knelt on the mats chewing on a piece of bread. 

Souta, feeling her eyes on him looked up, that same expression lingering a little longer before he frowned slightly and pointed out the fact that she was going to be late for school if she didn't get dressed soon. Kagome couldn't help but smile although the mere mention of the word 'school' increased her level of bitterness.

Yes, school, the place where she was terribly behind on all her classes (especially math) and the place where her friends were just bubbly empty-headed girls, and one specially annoying boy by the name of Hojo who doesn't know when to quit.

Kagome sighed heavily as she pulled on her green skirt, to complete the preppy ensemble. Glancing in the mirror she saw that the bloodstains were gone, she admired how clean it looked but at the same time remembered that it was Inuyasha's blood that had covered her clothes.

The all too familiar feeling of tears stung her eyes, but she swallowed hard and refused the oncoming flood. _No!_ She thought fiercely, feeling herself trembling uncontrollably. _If they see me cry they'll ask me what's wrong and then . . . they'll know. No! Kagome! Calm yourself._ She took a deep breath and walked out.

~*~*~

Kagome barely heard the ramblings of her teacher as she sat at her desk. How she ever made it to school on her own was a mystery. She had felt sick and constantly wanted to turn back. 

Worse, when she didn't think about settling the uneasy feeling in her gut her thoughts went to Inuyasha. 

Once in a while Kagome snapped out of it and wondered why. After all, more than a month has passed since that dark day, yet she insisted on torturing herself. She often told herself that it wasn't her fault, that she had been under the control of another, and that she should be satisfied because revenge had been dealt. 

Though she knew deep down all this didn't mean a thing compared to the intense feelings that were involved in the first place.

"Ms. Higurashi!" The teacher whipped the pointer down on Kagome's desk, only inches away from her head. She snapped straight up. "Have you been paying attention?" the woman fixed her with a look that indicated she knew the truth and that lying was not an option.

Kagome sank down into her chair and gazed up at her through half-closed eyes. To her own great surprise she found her lips turning up in a sneer. "If I may say so, I think you should spend less time minding other people's business and more on actually _teaching_ something."

A buzzing silence settled on the room, thick tension hung in the air as everyone stared at her with wide-eyes wondering what had happened to the sweet and nice Kagome that they knew.

The teacher's reaction was no different at first but her face soon became contorted with anger. She gripped the stick tightly, her knuckles showing white. Her face flushed scarlet and her eyes bulged. "Excuse me Ms Higurashi but that is most disrespectful." Her voice was eerily calm. "You know what this means don't you?"

Kagome immediately packed her bags and stood up, carefully taking one defiant look at the angry woman before heading out the door, slamming it closed after her. Behind her she heard her peers bursting into speech. Though all that receded as she walked down the hall and once again re-entered her realm of dark thoughts.

~*~*~

Kagome raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. She strolled through the unfamiliar part of the neighborhood having decided at the last moment to ditch the date with the principle and just leave school all together. 

She felt a little better now, not completely over her little episode back in the classroom but some of that bitterness had definitely drained away.

Kagome looked up and for the first time noticed her surroundings. There were beautiful houses standing all in perfect rows on both sides of the street. They appeared to be newly built, with rich colours that only new paint could provide. She wondered why she had never bothered coming to that side of the neighborhood before. It was pretty there and with an atmosphere of calmness that no other urban place could provide, except for the shrine of course.

Directly in front of her was a large moving truck that, because of its long body, took up that entire chunk of sidewalk. Kagome cursed mentally and tried to find a way across, either that or be run down by oncoming traffic. By the look of things several drivers passing by weren't too pleased with the truck either.

Finding no other way around it, Kagome sighed and prepared to step down and pray for her safety. Unfortunately just as she did so the sun decided that it was the perfect time to slide out from behind the giant mass of cloud it was hiding behind and shine directly into her face.

She immediately shut her eyes, forgetting where she was. There was a shout somewhere to the left of her but the blaring car horns and screeching tires to her right soon drowned it out.

All of a sudden, an unknown force knocked into her and pulled her to safety just before a car that drove all too fast was able to collide with her.

Kagome gasped, feeling the rhythm of her heart pounding against her ribcage. Her eyes were still shut tightly and she was faintly aware of the warmth she received from whoever it was who had just saved her from near-death.

Kagome opened one eye cautiously, then the other when she saw nothing but a sea of blackness. The person stepped away from her, releasing her from his protective embrace. 

She looked up, the sun spotting her vision. Blinking it away, her vision cleared to reveal none other than the object of her heart's desire, the one person who had been giving her sleepless nights, and the one she so desperately prayed would see again every waking minute just to apologize and say three simple little words that means so much. 

For a moment she stopped breathing.

__

Inuyasha . . .

__________________________________________________________

Okie, sorry 'bout this cliffhanger *bows apologetically* I'll try to update quick.

But see? It's getting better right? 

*silence*

Right? -_-;

Well, stick around to find out what happens o.O


	3. Wow! Unexpected

Hullo to you! Um, thanx for those who came by to read and those who reviewed. *bows repeatedly* Arigato! ^_^ This chapter has a weird twist to it, I just couldn't help myself. And plus it makes this whole plot more interesting. Though I must admit it's cruelly taking away the dignity of one of the characters. O well, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Aargh! Pleez see chapter 1.

Chapter 3

Kagome was appalled. 

Struck dumbfounded.

Like a fish out of water she opened and closed her mouth to speak, but no sounds came out.

She stared at him with large wondering eyes, the only thing she _could_ do at the moment. Which was why she didn't hear what had just been said to her.

"Hey! I said are you okay?" The boy looked down at her, waving a hand in front of her blank face. An expression of concern had dominated his features just before, but now it melted into a look of utter amusement. "Helloooooo."

"Wha - huh?" Kagome blinked several times and to her embarrassment, noticed how she had been gawking like an idiot. She looked down as a blush crept up her cheeks, lighting her face up like a red tomato. She suddenly heard a small chuckle and looked up.

The boy masked another chuckled by coughing loudly and looking away. Kagome couldn't help but smile eventhough she was slightly annoyed at the fact that Inuyasha's reincarnation happened to be just as obnoxious as the original.

"Thank you." Kagome said quietly glancing up at him, the flush had dulled in intensity although a small streak still remained.

"Feh. You were gonna get killed by that maniac, I couldn't just stand and watch. But you should be more careful." He replied, looking at her with a small frown. Suddenly a curious expression washed over his features, he narrowed his eyes slightly as if searching for something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Inside Kagome, her heart started to thump once more. Her eyes grew wider expectantly, hoping that the next words he'd say would be that he knew who she was. 

Unfortunately the moment was short lived. 

"Inuyasha!" A female voice called. Both turned their heads to look at a middle-aged, although very pretty woman who stood at the doorway of one of the houses. It appeared that they were just moving in, because it just so happened that the cursed truck was parked in their driveway and large men were busy moving various pieces of furniture into the house.

Kagome heard a sigh escape Inuyasha, followed by a barely audible "bye" before he briskly walked into the house, his mother stayed long enough to flash her a warm smile before disappearing as well. 

As quickly as he had come to her rescue, he had gone.

Kagome's mood had considerably brightened from that point on. She felt like her heart would burst from the vast amount of joy she experienced. She hopped lightly up the steps to the shrine humming a cheerful tune under her breath, thinking that at any moment she would burst into a full out musical number, but she could not allow that. Though it appeared her feet and the rest of her body was resisting control by moving to the beat of an odd melody. 

Half way across the courtyard Kagome halted. Her face fell as she realized that there was a real slim chance that she would bump into him again. And thinking back now his house was pretty far from the shrine and hard to detect once the truck was gone. She mentally cursed the lack of architectural creativity of those who had designed the houses.

She looked up at the endless blue sky, and not for the first time wondered if the fates were truly enjoying themselves by manipulating the course of her life.

~*~*~

It was yet another beautiful day in the city. And it was having a great effect on Kagome's mood. The raven-haired teenager strolled down the sidewalk seemingly carefree. She held her book bag behind her back as she slowly made her way to school. For the first time in many days she was early.

"Kagome! Kagome!" a high-pitched girl's voice called from behind her.

Kagome turned to find her "bubbly" friends running up behind her in a cloud of green and white. She stopped and smiled, waving her hand in greeting allowing them to catch up. They were still her friends after all, even if they weren't exactly the most exciting bunch of people around.

After the whole round of greetings were done with, the whirlwind of teenage gossip immediately picked up. Kagome's mind wandered off as usual, not hearing much of the buzzing conversation around her until the girls all screamed shrilly in unison.

Kagome winced and covered both her ears, throwing one of them a questioning look. The girl apologized and quickly hushed the rest of the group, noticing for the first time that they started to gain an audience.

In the distance the familiar sound of school bells rang. Panicking a little, the girls picked up their pace.

Luckily they had all made it, and not a moment sooner. The teacher had already started her beginning of the day routine by taking the attendance. Although she glance at them rather annoyed, making them bow and muttering apologies before they all sat down.

Half way through attendance the teacher looked up and scanned the population of the class. "Hmm . . . There should be a new student here today . . . " after another moment's pause she shrugged and went to the next one on the list.

Suddenly the door was shoved opened with a tremendous force, leaving it looking old and battered, barely staying in place. All attention shifted to the person who stood silhouetted and bracing the damaged doorframe. 

For a moment, Kagome's heart almost skipped a beat thinking it was Inuyasha. But as her vision cleared she saw the outline of the stranger's girlish figure and the skirt.

The teacher wore an annoyed expression as usual and she plainly did not bother masking the displeasure in having the door trashed. 

"You must be the new student." She said coldly, more of a statement than a question.

The girl took a step forward, her wild hair fluttering as she nodded yes, wearing an equally cold expression on her face.

Kagome choked when the face came into view, she was torn between shock and bursting out laughing hysterically. Though she had to admit at first glance the girl had beem almost unrecognizable.

"Class!"

Everyone's attention swerved at the sharp call.

"This is our new student . . . Kouga isn't it?" the teacher waited for her to nod before assigning her a seat at the back of the class. Kouga swiftly turned and did as she was told, although with excessive scowling. 

Kagome had the amusement of noting that as _she_ passed by, all the guys down that row seem to fall under a weird love spell and would not stop staring glossy-eyed at her. It was all too much for Kagome, considering in Feudal Japan Kouga was a _male_ wolf-demon. She sighed in contentment. _At least now he'll stop with the "My woman" thing._

The rest of the school day went by without any more odd occurrences. Although it did take a while to get used to the female Kouga and the sight of her being surrounded by a crowd of crushing boys who offered to do things for her to get on her good side. A hard thing to do seeing as she preferred to do things on her own and anyone who stood in the way was gonna see red. But Kagome wasn't about to blame the boys for trying; the body he was reincarnated into was very pretty.

~*~*~

Unfortunately Kagome's thoughts often drifted to Inuyasha, even when she really didn't want to. His face always seems to surface in her mind, imagining his name popping up in strange places. Even the thought of him well and okay didn't manage to still her throbbing heart. The tugging feeling was starting to grow more and more each day, with the pain worsening. 

She knew she wanted to see him again . . . but how?

It was not until a week later that she heard or seen anything of him. And it was not in the most ordinary way.

__________________________________________________________

Okie, sorry I hafta cut it off at this point. *evil grin* it was starting to lead into another chapter! 

Gomen, I have this 3-page rule thingy.

O yeah, about the Kouga thingy . . . um the reason is when I first saw him I thought he was a girl, I mean he had a long ponytail kinda like Sango's and look at his clothes! It looks like something Xena would wear except all fur. So sorry to all you who might be offended by this. 

Well, tell me your thoughts on this chapter, or the whole story! I very very much welcome and appreciate constructive criticism, that's what makes us all better right?

Well, stick around cuz some odd stuff is coming up next.


	4. Yet Another Incident

Hullo and arigato again! ^_____^ Thanx to you who reviewed my last chapter, or those who was patient enough to read through three chapters of this story, yes you know who you are! And again I thank you (gomen -_-' I'm just really bad at individual reply messages.) and I'm glad you found my Kouga injustice amusing. *snicker* and there's more of that coming up!

Kouga: *pops out of nowhere* Hey! That's not fair!

Me: Shuddap you! Say anymore and I'll chain you and Inuyasha together for all eternity. *Kouga is silenced* good! Now on with the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: Believe me, if I owned Inuyasha right now all the characters would be plotting to murder me . . . so I DON'T! For the sake of my health.

O! And Ms. Yune is a figure of my imagination.

Chapter 4

"Oh! Did you hear . . .?"

"You're kidding right . . .?"

"No! I've seen too!"

" . . . Kagome . . . "

"Huh?" Kagome lifted up her head and stared blankly at her short-haired friend who had just spoken her name.

"Gods Kagome! Honestly, you should really pay more attention." The friend rolled her eyes, bracing her hands on either sides of her hips. "No wonder Ms. Yune keeps sending you to the principal."

"Sorry, you're right, I'm listening." Said Kagome giving her friend an apologetic smile. But to tell the truth, she really didn't find much interest in gossip these days. Perhaps it's because her mind has always been so preoccupied with . . . other things. But she was willing to listen this time, give her poor brain a rest from all the thinking she's been doing. And ultimately stop her heart from aching. Any more stress and she could seriously drive herself insane.

"As I was saying Kagome," started her friend without another thought, "Rumor has it that there's another new student in the school!" it seemed she was incredibly giddy and wouldn't stand still. There was only one situation where her friends acted this strange.

"A boy right?" sighed Kagome slouching. This was probably the last thing she needed to hear right now. 

"Oh come on! Don't be so upset!" said Kagome's friend #2, the one with the long wavy hair. [A/N: Ok, I seriously don't know their names!] She gently pulled at Kagome's sleeve like a little child begging her mother for candy.

"I'm not upset. It's just - just . . . " Kagome couldn't go on. She knew she was being insensitive at the moment, ruining the happy fantasies of her friends was not a nice thing to do. 

__

Kinda like dog-boy.

"You'll like this one. He's _cute_!" said friend #1 [A/N: I'm sticking with this label until I know their names]

Just then the bell rang, signaling the ending of lunch and the beginning of the afternoon classes. The clutters of students scattered like bugs, each either going back to their appropriate desks or getting out of the classroom in a hurry to get back to their own classes.

The door slid open revealing Kouga carrying her books in her arms and her permanent group of fan-boys who offered to take the load. Kouga ignored all of their efforts by looking away with a determined look on her face, then sitting down quietly and closing her eyes trying to block out the image of them surrounding her, praying that the teacher would arrive soon to get them away.

It was quite a spectacle, really. Ever since Kouga had arrived almost a week ago, she had been seen repeating the same routine everyday. If it wasn't for the fact that she was an extremely good runner she might not be able to get a break at all. Many girls were secretly jealous of her, with Kagome's friends included, but for Kagome it was sympathy. Clearly, Kouga hated all this attention.

There was a shuffle at the doorway as the teacher, Ms. Yune, came in holding her leather briefcase like every other day. Kagome watched as the boys scattered to their own seats and Kouga sinking down into her seat, breathing a sigh of relief.

~*~*~

RRRRRRRRING!!!

Kagome desperately lashed out to grip onto something before she and her entire desk tipped over, she had been thrown off balance by the sound of the dismissal bell that had abruptly brought her out of her daydream. One of her leg had been carelessly hooked around the leg of her desk and should she fall, she would bring everything down with her.

The people around her rushed to help and saved her just before she was able to make a complete fool of herself.

Kagome's three friends crowded around her after she pulled herself together. They seemed even more restless than at lunch, and that made Kagome nervous.

A wave of noise rolled into the room as the door was pulled open by people rushing to get out. Kagome's friends pulled her to the door as well, seeming beyond excitement. Kagome wondered what was so wonderful that gotten them so hyped up, and was suspecting whether they had caught some odd disease. 

But soon she discovered that they weren't alone, in fact in the hallway other female students were busily talking among themselves with just as much excitement as her friends. Now Kagome wondered if the disease was contagious.

That was when she saw him.

As the girls around her flood the hall with bashful giggles, Kagome caught sight of the sleek long raven hair, broad shoulders, and the familiar posture. Except instead of the puffy red kimono he was clad in the standard black school uniform. In Kagome's mind this look and his human form complemented each other just perfectly, and couldn't help but be a little flushed. Inuyasha looked to be absorbed in his own thoughts and was entirely oblivious to those around him.

Kagome wanted to push through the crowds in front of her but found her arm in the death grip of one of her friends, who was at the moment whispering fiercely into her ear words that she could not hear. She tried calling out, but it was useless over the noise. He was so close yet so far away, she was helpless and mad for being so. It felt like one of those awful dreams where you try to run towards something but only to find yourself getting farther and farther away.

So that was how it came to pass. Inuyasha came and left without so much as noticing Kagome, who stood helplessly at a corner and watched while the love of her life passed her by. Though that incident didn't leave her completely discouraged, because at least now she knows the chances of seeing him again were not as slim as before. And she counted on the fact that the Fates could at least be kind and reward her.

~*~*~

Kagome plucked at her collar trying to cool herself off as the hot afternoon sun beat down on her, the benches, and the entire field spread out below. 

Kagome sat by the track fields, having no interest in going home and had been curious of Kouga's performance at the track practice. She wondered if Kouga's speed would come anywhere near the speed he had in Sengoku Jidai, although logically those two shouldn't be compared since demon Kouga's speed was enhanced by the use of two Shikon fragments in his legs.

Kagome watched as Kouga stretched herself out down in the field.

The former wolf-demon looked somewhat out of place. While the weather was particularly humid that day, all the girls had decided to wear their ultra-skimpy gym uniforms, but Kouga was dressed in knee-length shorts and a semi-baggy T-shirt, yet somehow managed to look more cooled than everyone combined.

Kagome wondered if this was all just to stop the boys from staring or she was truly uncomfortable with the clothes, but either way she never once saw her wear them. In fact she remembered clearly during phys. ed. that Kouga had stubbornly showed up to class wearing the boys' gym uniform. Maybe some of that boyishness still remained in her blood.

The coach on the field blew the whistle loudly, bringing all those there to a halt. The woman checked off their names on the clipboard she held before assigning them each to a lane. It was no surprise that Kouga had chosen the 100m dash, since that category was more about a person's speed rather than endurance.

"On you mark!"

The girls crouched down with their palms pressed to the burning ash vault.

"Get set!"

They raised themselves up a little, waiting for the call.

"Go!"

They took off at top speed. Kagome inwardly cheered as she watched Kouga bounding down the lane, quickly surpassing all other competitors.

However before anyone could tell what was happening some person had blindly strolled onto the track, right in front of the speeding Kouga who noticed it too late and wasn't able to stop in time.

Kagome winced. 

There was a huge thudding sound as Kouga collided with the student who noticed their folly a little too slow. The momentum she had sent both of them flying through the air, then landing painfully and skidding along for a few feet before coming to a complete stop, surrounded by clouds of dust. Behind them the coach, other runners, and spectators came rushing up.

As the dust started to settle, Kagome ran up to see if she was all right. She was relieved to see that Kouga hadn't suffered any major injuries, just scrapes here and there. Kouga lifted herself off the person with a pained grunt and was about to get up when she froze.

So did Kagome . . . while everyone else gasped and started muttering amongst themselves.

Lying there on the ground, and suffering from more than just minor scratches, was Inuyasha. He groaned softly as he shook to clear his head, and was about to get up but found himself pinned to the ground by an unknown weight pressing down on his chest. He opened one eye and saw Kouga sitting on him. 

There was a sudden tense moment when their eyes met, and held. Then to everyone's surprise Inuyasha growled. 

"Bitch! Get off me!"

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Sorry, had to end it there. Yes *sigh* another one of my ingenious 3-page rule thingy. But isn't it good it have the old swearing Inu back? And for anyone who's wondering, no, I didn't kill off Sango, her cutie cat Kirara, Miroku, and the adorable Shippou. They'll just come later.

Well . . . comments, constructive criticism, and random things are always welcome.

Cya!

Ps. Forgive me if my chapters are short and I only update once a week, the reason is I have other stories I'm working on at the same time and I VERY often get writer's block.


	5. Kouga's Special Plan

Konnichiwa minna-san! O_o Gomen nasai! Sorry I haven't updated in soooooooo long! Been busy with school and other fics. *sniff sniff* so I deserve it if none of ya read this fic anymore. I'm also in a really weird mood, so if my writing suks then ignore it. *sweatdrop*

Warning: mild swearing (if u can call it that), and Kouga OOC-ness (itz hard to make her a PMS-ing girl and still keep her in character.)

Now on with my crappy story!

Chapter 5

Kouga didn't seem the least bit shocked by the rude remark, and instead shot back at him with equal force.

"Dog-turd, it's you huh? Should've guessed. Only a total moron would walk onto a track field during practice." She narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "Are you _blind_?"

"No." Inuyasha roughly gripped her by the shoulders and pushed her off of him. She landed in the dirt with a small angry pout then immediately jumped to her feet, clenching her fists and yelling at him for all she was worth.

Kagome stood horrified and puzzled. _What in the world is Kouga doing?_

"No wonder you're always getting in trouble. You're an idiot! Hey, get your head on straight Dog-turd, if I'm crippled because of your little stunt back there, you'll live to regret it! Whether _they_ like it or not! Got it?" with that Kouga stomped off the field, steaming at the ears. [A/N: Yeah, I know it's OOC but she's a girl so I gotta give her girlish emotions.]

Inuyasha seemed peeved too, though not as much as Kouga. With her gone he couldn't retort, so he simply sighed and left. Again, without a single glance in Kagome's direction.

As the crowd dispersed, Kagome sighed as well. 

__

It's stupid of me to hope so much, it was a lot to ask to bring him back. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be . . .

~*~*~

Kagome was late, and she knew it. It was strange how she had overslept, even when she remembered for sure that she had set the alarm clock the night before. If it wasn't for her usually oblivious mother tearing away her blanket and destroying the warm and soft cocoon she had been sleeping in, she might not have woken up at all.

Kagome rushed up the few steps to the school, heart racing. In her mind she quickly thought up a lame excuse to tell Ms. Yune once she was in class. 

She was immersed in deep thought when a rather shrill and familiar voice brought her to a halt and look around in total bewilderment.

"I'D RATHER DIE!!"

Standing a few metres away from the staring Kagome and a few paces away from each other was none other than Kouga and Inuyasha. Kouga stood angrily with her fists firmly planted on either side of her hips, glaring daggers up at the longhaired boy, who seemed only to be faintly annoyed standing with his arms folded across his chest.

"Feh! You've just stolen the words right outta my mouth." Replied Inuyasha eerily calmly. He looked a bit stressed and a little depressed.

__

What's going on? Wondered Kagome, who might as well have been invisible to the two a little in front of her.

"Shit! I'm late for class!" muttered Kouga under her breath, though loud enough for both Inuyasha and Kagome to hear. "Thanks a lot dumb-ass!" She picked up her knapsack that had been slumped on the ground and walked away. Kagome watched as Inuyasha sighed sadly, and wondered again why he seemed so down. 

She was about to pretend she hadn't just eavesdropped and follow after Kouga when she heard Inuyasha clear his throat and couldn't help but glance up at him.

To Kagome's surprise he was looking directly at her. The same golden eyes that often appeared in her mind bore into her own. She quickly became flustered and did her best not to trip as she slowly turned a little to face him.

"You're that girl the other day right?" he asked, that same puzzled look returning to his features.

Kagome nodded. "Um . . . I ah . . . "

"Damn it I'm late for class!" swore Inuyasha loudly, turning around and heading the opposite direction without so much as a 'goodbye'.

Kagome stood speechless, feeling rejected. The sadness slowly started to creep up on her as she made her way to the class she was destined to fail.

***

After school as Kagome headed out of the school she spotted Kouga and Inuyasha once again in the midst of a heated argument. A small group of spectators had gathered while others tried to keep away from the two altogether.

"This is stupid, it's all about _you_ isn't it?" said Kouga trying to avoid eye contact with the boy.

"ME? What, you think this was my idea?" said Inuyasha with a trace of the usual sarcasm in his voice. "I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot pole. So don't think you're all special." He swiftly turned his back and walked away, plainly wanting nothing more than to get away from the prying crowd of teenagers.

Kouga turned and walked off in the other direction. A small group of boys tried to follow her but she quickly swatted them off as if they were flies.

Kagome saw her chance for some questioning and jogged to catch up to the taller girl.

"Uh . . . Kouga-kun?"

"_Kun_?" Kouga slowed down and gave her a strange look.

"Gomen ne." apologized Kagome, she had gotten used to this suffix after this particular name. "Can I ask a question?"

Kouga shrugged and looked away from her.

"Why are you and Inuyasha always arguing?" Kagome desperately hoped that she didn't sound like she was trying to pry.

"Do you really want to know?" Kouga sighed and completely stopped in her tracks, sending Kagome stumbling right into her. 

Kagome nodded trying to keep her eyes as wide and innocent as possible, masking a whirl of emotions from deep inside. She almost held her breath when Kouga hesitated.

"My parents are kind of crazy, they believe in that traditional way of bringing 'power' into the family as they call it. They all thought that it might be a good idea for me to finally do something good for the entire family so now they're sending me like luggage to Dog-boy's family." Kouga suddenly decided to walk again and Kagome followed. "Just imagine being the fiancée of that idiot." She glared hard in front of her

"Well . . . it's not _that_ bad is it?" Kagome asked without thinking. When Kouga looked down at her she blushed heavily. "I mean . . . "

"It's alright, it's not like I don't see all the looks girls at school has been giving him." Suddenly a wicked twinkle appeared in her eyes, a small mischievous smirk followed after. "Hey . . . how about I let you replace me at the dinner tonight?" 

Kagome did a double take, almost falling right on her face. "What -- WHAT?" She looked up at Kouga with wide, unbelieving eyes. Yet the other girl didn't seem the least bit effected by the comment she just made. Kouga simply stared determinedly ahead of her.

"Yeah! What do you say?" Kouga turned and met her eyes, smiling sincerely. "And it's not like he's in love with me or anything." 

"Um . . . I dunno . . ."

"Don't worry about getting caught, his parents actually haven't met me yet and it's just me there alone from my family. So . . . how about it?" Kouga stopped walking and turned all the way to face her. Real plead filled her eyes, and she gripped onto Kagome's arm lightly to make her pay attention. "_Please_ Kagome?"

Kagome bit her bottom lip, she was in a real dilemma. It's a miracle that such a chance would just drop onto her lap like that, and if she passed it then if would probably never happen again. On the other hand if she were to get caught . . . or if Inuyasha ended up really hating her for doing this then . . .

"Alright, I'll do it."

"Great!" Kouga almost hopped into the air. She was considerably brighter than Kagome had ever seen her. "Okay, I'll be by the shrine in an hour." Kouga called back as she jogged away. "Arigato! Ja ne!"

When Kouga disappeared around a corner, Kagome collapsed against a nearby telephone pole. She sighed.

__

What have I gotten into . . .?

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Ooooooo . . . what's gonna happen now? *evil grin*

OK, OK ppl. that sucked big didn't it? -__- 

Regardless, still please review. U can say whatever …


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